Basic Language Course Planned For Spring, 1959

Students will be able to begin the study of a language in the spring term next year. Every elementary course now starts only in September.

In a letter written in response to a CRIMSON editorial, Henry C. Hatfield, Chairman of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, said that the Department was considering giving a half course for double credit which would, in other words, be a full course compressed into one semester.

Yesterday, he disclosed that such a course will be given experimentally in both the fall and spring terms. Since it will be the first elementary language course beginning in February to cover a full year's curriculum, its progress will be viewed with interest by the other language departments.

The possibility of similar courses in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures was intimated by Wilbur M. Frohock, chairman, who said that the Department will watch very intently the "pioneering experiment" of the new German course.

Albert J. Lord, Chairman of the Department of Slavic Languages, said that he would discuss such a course at the next departmental meeting. He added, however, that he would be "circumspect" before recommending such a course.

The reaction to the program in the Classics Department was "not unsympathetic," but Eric A. Havelock, chairman, noted that it takes longer to learn "the highly structurated and inflected languages" than modern ones. An intense course in Greek or Latin would be very difficult, he asserted.